Demolition of JIA’s Concourse B brings end of an era

The last piece of the 1960s structure will be up to spec by 2013.

ANDY JACOBSOHN/The Times-UnionDemolition of the B concourse at the Jacksonville International Airport, as well as its reconstruction, will cost about $1.2 million.

As the giant metal claw ripped off the aluminum siding of Jacksonville International Airport’s Concourse B, an era in the city’s history came to a close.

The long narrow concourse to the rear of the airport’s terminal remains the last bit of the original structure, built sometime in the 1960s.

Tearing the structure down will cost about $900,000. Once it’s gone, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority will spend another $300,000 to bring the concrete surface up to spec to handle large aircraft.

A stub of the structure will remain, providing a starting point from which to build a lounge area for airline club members.

The work is being done now, authority spokesman Michael Stewart said, because a drop in the number of flyers means the demolishers don’t have to maneuver around planes landing and taking off in the area.

The authority’s timetable for replacing the concourse rests on when traffic picks up again. Right now, Stewart said, the estimate is around 2013.